Prosecutions Policy

Summary:

The use of the criminal process to institute legal proceedings is an important part of the Department’s approach to combating fraud and irregularity. It aims to punish wrongdoing, to avoid a recurrence and to act as a lesson to others. This booklet outlines the policy of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland Central Investigation Service, with regard to the prosecution of offenders. This Prosecution Policy takes account of the criteria set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors 1994. The Policy is not and cannot be a set of hard and fast rules stating when legal proceedings must and must not be recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecution. Rather, it sets out the guidelines, which Central Investigation Service will observe when conducting investigations with a view to recommending prosecution to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The principles of this policy will be applied consistently throughout the Department. It will be reviewed periodically and, if appropriate, revised.

Published on this site on:

15 April 2004

Availability:

This document is available to download by following the link below or by writing to:

• Download: DARD Prosecution Policy (Portable Document Format, 234 Kb)
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